Fence-post.



EATENTED EEE. 27, 1906.- W. J. EADE. FENCE POST.

APPLICATION FILED OCW-30,1905A INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY'.

' Aline e z of Fig.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. EADE, OF DAYTON,`OHIO.

FENCE-POST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

Application filed October 30, 1905. Serial No. 284,934.

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. EADE, a citizen of the United tates,residing at Dayton, in thev county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fence-Posts, of whichreference be, ing had therein to the accompanying draw-1 the triangulartongues formed by the slits the following is a specification,

ings.

This invention relates to fence-posts, being designed more particularlyfor application to fence-posts constructed of cement, althoughapplicable to fence-posts of other material.

The invention has for its object to provide means for the ready andsecure attachment of the fence-wires to the fence-post, the constructionbeing such as to permit the wires to be readily connected anddisconnected therefrom.

To these and other ends my invention consists in certain novel featureswhich I will now proceed to describe and will then particularly pointout in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of afence-post embodying my invention in one form. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line x ofFig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a detailplan section taken on the line y y of Fig. 2 and looking in thedirection of the arrows. Fig. 5 is a similar section taken on the 2 andlooking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 6 is a detail view ofthe locking bar or key detached.

In the said drawings, l indicates the body of the post, which ispreferably constructed of cement or a cementitious compound, preferablyby the process of molding. The rear portion of the body of this post ispreferably reinforced by one or more metallic members extendinglongitudinally of the same near the rear thereof from end to end. In thepresent instance I have shown for this purpose the construction which Iperefer, consisting of two wire cables 2.

3 represents a metallic plate, preferably of iron or steel, partiallyembedded in the front portion of the post above the ground-line andserving bothto reinforce the saidfront portion of the post-body and alsoto receive and support the fence-wires. This plate is arranged radiallywith respect to the post, along which it extendslongitudinally, and hasa suitable proportion thereof-as, for instance, about half cement.

of its width-embedded in the cement body of the post. This embeddedportion is preferably slit at intervals, as indicated at 4, in thatportion thereof which is embedded in the cement, so as to effect a moreperfect bond and permanently unite said plate to the This result isobtained by bending outwardly alternately in opposite directions 4, soas to cause the projecting tongues thus formed to engage the cement, andthe slits 4 are preferably alternately inclined upward and downward fromthe rear margin of the plate, as shown, so that the tongues will projectalternately upward and downward as well as onboth sides of the plate.The portion of the plate which extends out beyond the front face of thepost is provided at intervals with wire-receiving slots, of which anysuitable number may be employed, according to the number of wires ofwhich the fence is composed. In the present instance I have shownfive ofthese slots. Each consists of a horizontal portion 5 extending from theouter edge of the plate to the face of the post, a vertical portion 6extending along the face of the post, and a seat or recess portion 7,said seat or recess extending outwardly from but opening inwardly towardthe body of the post, being closed by the body of the plate at its topand bottom and outer sides. Coperating with these wire-receiving slotsis a locking bar or key 8 (Shown in position in Fig. l and separately inFig. 6.) This locking-bar is of a thickness such that when it liesagainst the front face of the post it leaves a sufficient space withinthe seats or recesses 7 to permit the fence-wires to lie therein, whileat the same time it closes the portions 6 of the wirereceiving slots insuch a manner as to prevent the fence-wires which lie within the seatsor recesses 7 from entering said slots, so that they may be disengagedfrom the post. The locking-bar is preferably provided with a hookedupper end 9, adapted to engage over the upper edge of the plate 3, so asto limit the downward motion of the locking-bar and prevent its fallingby gravity from its position when in place. The plate 3 prevents lateraldisplacement of the locking-bar in one direction, and the postbody isprovided on the other side of the locking-bar with means for -preventinglateral displacement thereof in the opposite direction, this meanspreferably consisting of pins l0, partially embedded in the cement bodyand projecting outward therefrom sufficiently to IOO IIO

engage the locking-bar and prevent lateral movement thereof away fromthe plate.

It will be seen that the fence-wires may be readily engaged in thereceiving-slots of the plate and moved to a position such that they restin the seats'or recesses 7 whereupon the locking-rod may be passed downbetween the wires and the face of the post on two of its sides andbetween the plate 3 and pins 10 on its two other sides. thus placed inposition, it holds the fencewires firmly in the recesses 7, while saidwires, in conjunction with the plate, pins, and postbody, hold thelocking-bar against displacement. The'locking-bar is preferably made ofa length sufficient to cause it when in position to extend downwardbeyond the lower edge of the plate and into the ground, the engagementof the upper end of said rod with the upper edge of the plate serving tolimit its downward motion during the operation of inserting saidlocking-rod in position. However, the said rod may be made of a lengthsuch as to cause it to terminate above the ground, in which case theengagement of its upper end with the top of the plate will prevent itfrom falling. The locking-bar may be readily withdrawn by a longitudinalmovement upward, whereupon the wires may be readily released in anobvious manner.

I have shown the plate 3 as provided at its lower end with' apertures11, two of them formed in its embedded portion and one of them in itsexposed portion. This latter aperture mayserve for the attachment bytiewires ef a fence-wire at the ground-line, as shown in dotted lines.The two inner apertures serve to give an additional bonding connectionbetween the plate and cement body of the post at the ground-line andalso serve for the connection to the plate of conducting wires 12, whichextend from the plate downward through the post, so as to give a goodearth-contact terminal. The said apertures 11 are made of a size suchthat after the conducting-wires 12 are passed through the same toconnect the plate the openings are still of a size sufficient to permitthe cement of which the body of the post is formed to extend throughsaid apertures, and thus effect a firmer union of the plate and thecement body. The wires 12 are important for the reason, among others,that wire fences are frequently struck by lightning, and frequent andefficient earth connections serve to diminish the liability to injury oflive stock, which are apt to gather near a fence during a storm. Thecement post being a non-conductor of electricity would insulate thefence-wires from the ground if not provided with these earth conductors,so that the post would be liable to injury .by the jumping of thecurrent from the embedded portion of the plate to the ground. The sametendency of the current to jump from Vhen the locking-bar is' the wiresto the ground which exists when no provision for ground connections ismade would be liable to injure or cause the death of cattle standingnear the fence by reason of the current passing from the fence-wires tothe cattle on its way to the ground, and this danger is averted by theample ground connections which I have furnished. The locking-barfurnishes in itself a ground connection when said bar is made of alength such as to extend down into the ground, as in my preferredconstruction. A similar ground connecting-wire 13 may be connected tothe exposed portion of the plate 3 by means of the aperture 11 at thelower end thereof if desired. The size of the aperture 11 is such as topermit the connection thereto of both the ground-wire 13 and thetie-wire which supports the lowermost fence-wire, in case this latter isemployed. The ground-Wires 12 being embedded in the body of thefencepost also serve as a reinforcing or strengthening element for thisportion of the structure which lies below the plate, and which istherefore not reinforced by said plate.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise detailsof construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanyindrawings, as it is obvious that these detaiIs may be modified withoutdeparting from the principle of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is`

1. A fence-post comprising a body and a longitudinal plate beingprovided with wire receiving grooves extendin from the margin of theplate to the face of the body and having seats or recesses for the wiresopening toward said body, and a locking-rod adapted to fit between thebody and said recesses adjacent to the plate and prevent the wires insaid recesses from entering the slots, substantially as described.

2. A fence-post comprising a body and a longitudinal plate projectingtherefrom, said plate being provided with wire receiving groovesextendin from the margin of the plate to the face of the body and havingseats or recesses for the wires opening toward said body, and alocking-rod adapted to fit between the body and said recesses adjacentto the plate and prevent the wires in said recesses from entering theslots, said body being provided with means for preventing lateil'almotion of the locking-rod away from the p ate.

3. A fence-post comprising a cement body and a combined reinforcing andwire-supporting member consisting of a plate extending longitudinally ofthe portion of the post above ground, partly embedded therein toreinforce the same, and having its projecting part provided withwire-receiving grooves IOO plate projecting therefrom, said IIO IIS

terminating in inwardly opening recesses,

pins projecting from the body along one side of the plate, and alocking-rod fitting between the pins and plate against the face of 5 thebody and adapted to close the mouths of the recesses, substantially asdescribed.

4. A fence-post comprising a body and a longitudinal plate projectingtherefrom, the projecting portion of the plate being pro- Io vided withwire-receiving slots terminating in inwardly-opening recesses, and afree locking-rod adapted to fit between the recesses and the face of thebody adjacent to the plate and having its upper extremity adapted toengage the plate, substantially as described.

ln testimony whereor i affix my signature i presence of two witnesses.

WLLIAM J. EADE. Witnesses;

H. L. LITELIFIELD, l M. SMITH.

